Combined sanitary shield and receptor



April 13 1926. 1,580,464

F. H. BLUMENFELD 1 COMBINED SANITARY SHIELD AND RECEPTOR Filed Oct. 12 1922 Patented Apr. 13, 1926.

FRANCES HYMAN BLUMENFELD, OI RICIIMOND, CALIFORNIA.

.COMBINED SANITARY SHIELD AND RECEPTOR.

Application filed October 12, 1922. Serial- No. 594,126.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANons HYMAN BLUMENFELD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Richmond, county of Contra Costa, State of California, have invented new and useful Combined Sanitary Shields and Receptors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates in general to a combined sanitary shield and receptor and has reference more particularly to a bifurcated garment adapted to encircle the hips and upper leg portions of the body and embodying in its construction a detachable catamenial sack or pad.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a garment of the class described which may be worn by women beneath the undergarments during the menstrual period for protecting the under and outer garments and thus serving as a convenient and sanitary protector.

A further object of my invention is to so construct the garment that the catamenial receptor may be changed without taking off the garment or otherwise inconveniencing the wearer.

While my invention is devised for ordinary wear, it also may be used to advantage in hospitals, not only during the menstruation period, but also after such surgical operations which require bandages and receptors of the same character as catamenial sacks or pads. Then again the construction of the garment per se enables it to be used on infants as a protector or shield and in such cases the catamenial pad may be discarded in favor of the customary napkin diaper.

The invention posses further objects and features which will appear as the description now proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a front view of the garment as it is when worn; Figure 2 is a rear view; Figure 3 is a .front view showing the front flap unhooked; Figure 4 is a detail view of the catamenial pad; Figure 5 is a cross section of the catamenial pad; and Figure 6 is a modified View of a form suitable for hospital use.

Referring now to the drawing in detail A represents the garment per so which I prefer to produce out of sheet rubber a suitable rubberized, or the like, material so that the garment itself will be made waterproof. and including an elastic waist band B and hip and leg encircling parts C. In fact the garment resembles aso-called pair of trunks in many respects. For ventilating purposes I desire to insert a piece of relatively large mesh gauze D in the back of the garment. In making up the garment I suggest cutting the material in two pieces, sewing or otherwise connecting them in the back as indicated by the seams E, F, and F, so as to leave a combined crotch and back part G, and side parts which make up the hip and leg encircling parts O. The crotch part terminates in a relatively long flap H which completes the leg encircling parts and the shape of the same corresponds to the V-shaped open front of the part C so as to complete the garment when the flap is hooked up, and also leaving a large opening when unhooked.

The marginal edges of the opening, including the leg openings, are preferably hemmed as shown. As a convenient means of hooking and unhooking the front flap H, I suggest using separable fasteners I along the hem of the V on the flap and on the hem of the V on the corresponding opening. To reinforce the front, an elastic strip or the like J may be used.

The construction of the combined crotch and front flap H leaves a relatively wide area of material to which the catamenial receptor (5) may be attached so that when the flap is hooked up the receptor will be held in place. The receptor (5) is preferably in the form of an absorbent pad and these pads may be made u in inexpensive quantities, using suita 1e laminated cloth of required thickness or else two thicknesses of cloth with a quantity of absorbent material between them. In any event the pad may be attached by using elastic strips (6) sewed or otherwise fixed to the pad attaching area so that safety pins, or the like, may be used to attach the corners of the pad to the strips.

The form shown in Figure 6 as above stated may be used for hospital use and in this connection I prefer to make the garment without the gauze back D and the material used would ordinarily be rubber sheeting. The same should also open up the front as at J, and the attaching means for the receptor may be discarded.

From the above it will be readily seen that not only does the garment ofl'er a waterproof garment and a sanitary shield that may be Worn with 'utmost comfort, but at the same time it oll'ers a decided convenient way of supporting the receptor especially enabling the same to be easily changed with out removing the garment.

Claims:

1. In a combined sanitary shield and receptor, a hip and leg encircling garment made of sheet rubberized material having an elastic waist band, a combined crotch and releasable front flap terminating forward and upwardly in a relatively large V detachably connected to the adjacent parts of the garment below the waist band, spaced means on the inner side of said flap for seouring to the four corners of a substantially square absorbent pad, said means coniprising four straps each secured at one end to the flap and having a free end for attaching the pad, two of said straps being arranged in the vertical medial line of the garment and the other two at right angles thereto all substantially equally spaced from the lower central point of the garment and whereby a square pad will be held in a diagonal position relative to the body of a wearer.

2. In a combined sanitary shield and receptor, a hip and leg encircling garment made of sheet rubberized material having an elastic waist band, a combined crotch and releasable front flap terminating forward and upwardly in a relatively large V dctachably connected to the adjacent parts of the garment below the waist band, an elastic strip in the front of the garment extending down from the waist band to the top of the V, and spaced means on the inner side of said flap Ior securing to the four corners of a substantially square absorbent pad, said means comprising four elastic straps each secured at one end to the garment and having a free end for attaching the pad, two of said straps being arranged in the vertical medial line of the garment and the other two at right angles thereto all substantially equally spaced from the lower central point of the garment and whereby a substantially square absorbent pad when attached will be stretched and held smoothly in a diagonal position relative to the body of a wearer.

FRANCES HYMAN BLUMENFELD. 

